Home Security is always important all year long, but at this time of the year we think about it even more. With all of our dreams and visions of the perfect Holiday, who could bear the disaster of a break in now? We have to do everything possible to protect our investments. Here are a few tips to ring in the season safely.
Keep a low profile. Don’t bring all of your gifts in at once from a vehicle. Hauling loads of loot into your home before or after the Holiday can attract the wrong kind of attention. This includes both gifts you intend to give and those you’ve received. Also, try to obscure the nature of the packages. Another thing is to keep your frontal views low key. Try to keep high dollar and large packages out of view from your neighbors. Everyone loves to see the tree in the window, make that your focus. A big tree will do a terrific job of obscuring the front view of your home through the windows. Lastly, keep your Holiday cheer on middle and low volume. Loud sounds from TVs and stereos could attract the wrong type of attention.
Always make sure your property is secure. Always lock your doors, even when you are home. It’s usually cold out through most of North America. Keep your windows secured and any other entries to your home locked as well.
Keep an eye out for strange activity. Even better, for a neighborhood watch. Crimes are often planned in advance. This requires the criminal to “case out” the location well ahead of the time the crime actually takes place. Criminals will also often return to a neighborhood where stakes are low, and the residents are ill prepared. Become the hard target to deter any invasions of your home.
Don’t open your door unless you know who is on the other side. Home invasions are up, and the vast majority of them are committed when the victim simply opens the door. Installation of a home intercom system and cameras can prevent this from occurring completely.
Install preventative electronics. Security Alarm and Panic systems are a great start, and so is a perimeter security camera system. Not only are these devices great for notifying the authorities and collecting evidence for the aftermath; but the real hope is to deter the events from ever happening. Many people say: the very best security systems are the ones you never use.
Have a plan in the event something happens. From home intrusion, to burglary, to catastrophic mishap; having a plan will help you react appropriately and effectively to anything. Often the decisions you make right away, make the largest difference in the long term.
Keep defense items handy. Having something to defend yourself near points of entry and your resting areas could save your life. There is picture circulating on the internet that says: look to your right. That is now your defensive weapon of choice in the zombie apocalypse! What is it? You see all sorts of silly things like “a pillow”, “a book”, “a TV remote” and whatnot. However, this is a very serious point. Even though the zombie apocalypse is not likely to happen, what is a possibility is a break in or home invasion. Plan ahead to be able to defend yourself. It doesn’t have to be a weapon per se. Many common items can be used to protect yourself. Identify these items well in advance. Table legs, lamps, statues, metal knick knacks, curtain rods, home chemicals and cleaners, letter openers, phones, belts, keys, pens, and many other items can be used rather effectively in a life or death situation. Know and be aware of your surroundings. In your home, you have the advantage.
Another item you need to keep handy at all times is your cell phone. In the event of a break in or home invasion, contacting the authorities immediately could mean life or death differences. Police response or lack of will make a huge difference in the outcome of your situation.
As a test of your security, you should regularly invite friends over to “try” to break in. Don’t tell them anything about your security, and see what happens. You can learn a lot by running mock home invasions, burglaries, and such. I have a friend that has purchased a few air soft pistols for this exact reason. It seems like silly kid stuff (cowboys and Indians) but the fact of the matter is; these kinds of things happen in reality. You CAN practice for them. IMPORTANT NOTE: you should inform your neighbors the tests are running. A good samaritan could be likely to act upon your “intruders”.
In closure, you should consider all instances not as “could happen” but as “will happen”. Many find this as “crazy behavior” but often they are the ones that become tomorrow’s victims.